THE skills and labour crisis in Fiji is creating a labour market that has the potential to reverse economic and development progress.
Both the private and the public sectors are facing unprecedented challenges in sourcing, recruiting and retaining workers across a wide spectrum of skills.
The absence of a nationally verified list of skills gaps has created a major challenge for both the private and public sector to respond to the current skills and labour crisis.
On the same note, the Ministry of Immigration is facing challenges in considering and fast-tracking work permit applications, due to the absence of a nationally verified list of skills gaps.
Roadmap to a nationally verified list of skills gaps
From November 1, a National Skills & Labour Demand Survey will be deployed.
The key objective of this survey is to establish a Nationally Verified List of Labour and Skills Gaps for Fiji.
Its primary objective is to capture current skills and labour gaps in both private and public sector.
The second objective will be to capture a forecast of skills and labour needs in the next 6 – 12 months.
Results from this survey will also feed into the National Human Resources Development Plan.
The survey – A private sector driven initiative will be primarily led by the Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation (FCEF) in conjunction with the Fiji Human Resource Institute (FHRI), with the support of local and international agencies.
The actual development and rollout of the survey will be managed by Fiji Bureau of Statistics, who have the structure and mechanism already in place.
Why this survey is important
Unskilled and skilled workers are leaving our shores in large numbers.
In July 2025, the Government announced that more than 15,000 Fijian workers were under the seasonal workers schemes in Australia and New Zealand.
In September 2025 alone, 1133 Fijians left the country for jobs.
The National Employment Centre (NEC) has confirmed that over 20,000 Fijians are registered for the labour mobility schemes and are not permitted to work locally.
In addition, the $1.5b in remittance is enticing many working age Fijians not to work.
The outflows far exceed the capacity of our schools and higher education institutions to supply and meet private and public sector demands – graduates with the right knowledge, skills and behaviours.
Of the 9000 students enrolled in TVET courses at the Fiji National University (FNU), about 50 per cent actually complete their course and graduate.
The latest Employment and Unemployment Survey (2023-24) states that 18,073 Fijians are unemployed and Youth Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) is 26.6 per cent.
A total of 6460 work permits were issued to overseas workers between August 2023 and January 2025.
This number is estimated to be over 8000 to date, about 3-4 per cent of the total employed labour force.
According to Investment Fiji, about $2billion (on completion) of construction projects are currently underway and 30 new projects is forecasted to come on line.
This means that the demand for foreign workers will continue.
More than 774 employers have recruited foreign workers, about 8.5 per cent of total employers, if benchmarked against the FNPF membership.
Support and backing for this survey
The Government, through the Ministry of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development & Statistics, has allocated $110,790 for this important survey.
The national taskforce will support the Bureau of Statistics to plan, coordinate and implement the survey.
The taskforce also includes Higher Education Commission of Fiji (HECF), Fiji Hotel & Tourism Association (FHTA), Suva Retailers Association (SRA), the Ministry of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development & Statistics, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization of Migration (IOM).
Other relevant organisations, including municipality-based employer and business membership organisations, may join the taskforce.
Survey rollout
The technical aspects of the survey will be led by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics. The ILO and the IOM will provide technical guidance.
The survey will be deployed online from November 1 to December 31, 2025.
The online survey will be promoted widely by FCEF, FHRI and other employer and business membership organisations.
The Fiji Bureau of Statistics will do the analysis and the final report will be delivered in January 2026.
The taskforce is grateful for the support of Ministers Manoa Kamikamica and Biman Prasad for their support in getting this initiative off the ground.
